Hard Luck Woman
Synopsis The episode opens with the Bebop traveling through hyperspace, as Faye watches her old Betamax tape, reminiscing on what memories she can still recall and searching for clues on where she can find more relics from her past. Her gaze is interrupted by Edward, who is revealed to have been watching all along. Faye asks if Ed knows anything about the locations on the video, but Ed falls asleep before she can reveal any information, Faye then kisses Ed on the mouth to attempt to wake her up, without success. The Bebop and company find themselves on Earth, much to the chagrin of Jet, who had set a course for Mars to chase down a bounty head. Ed says she has seen some of the landmarks in the video during her time on Earth, so she and Faye take the Red Tail (with Faye at the wheel and Ed "secured" to the top of the ship) and leave. Meanwhile, a rover-type vehicle bounds through the massive craters on the surface. Two men exit the rover and discuss their surveying work. Faye and Ed dig through garbage at the site of a massive landfill, when they find themselves surrounded by young children, and are taken to Ed's old orphanage. Ed reveals that this was part of her plan, and when Faye asks why, she informs Faye that she just wanted to return because the food was good. The Nun reveals that there is a surprise for Ed, and she reacts in her usual hyper, eccentric manner. The surprise turns out to be: a holographic image of her father, one of the men from the rover scene. The nun informs Ed that her father came by recently looking for her. Though the nun offers shelter, Ed and Faye choose to leave to search for more clues of Faye's past life. Ed's father and his assistant MacIntyre deploy a satellite dish and look a map of the craters formed by the constant meteor bombardment. Faye finds a familiar landmark, where she encounters Sally Young a friend from her school days. As several decades have passed since those days, Sally is visibly aged and in a wheelchair, but Sally nonetheless recognizes Faye and calls her by name. Faye has a flashback, remembering Sally as she used to be, as well as a bit of the space shuttle accident. Sally tells Faye that she was put into cryostasis after the accident. Faye returns sadly to the Bebop. Ein seems interested in the hologram of Ed's father. Jet and Spike get news of a nearby bounty head Appledelhi Siniz Hesap Lutfen, Ed's father. He appears to have a 50 million Woolong bounty on his head for robbing a bank. Appledelhi and MacIntyre continue to chase after new meteor strikes. Faye continues to remember more about her past life, and emerges from the shower determined to find more evidence of her existence before cryostasis. Her departure is blocked by Ed. Faye remarks that Ed has someone waiting for her too, and that she should go find him, as "belonging is the very best thing there is." Ed contemplates Faye's words as the Red Tail flies away. Spike and Jet locate Appledelhi near an inland lake. He explains that he and his assistant are traveling Earth, making maps of the changed terrain. He holds them off by throwing eggs, gumming up their pistols, and then blocks Spike's hand-to-hand combat with ease until the Bebop suddenly crashes ashore, piloted by Ed with her remote control. Appledelhi calls her "Francoise" and they greet each other with excitement. He thanks the Bebop for looking out for his son...or was that his daughter? and pays them with a basket of eggs from his chickens. Jet re-checks the bounty and discovers it was actually only 50 Woolongs. Appledelhi offers Ed the chance to come with him, but before she can answer another massive meteor crashes nearby. Appledelhi and MacIntyre rush off again. Faye lands near a steep path, where she has a flashback of herself as a young girl, running towards her home. Following the path, the flashback comes to an end, and Faye sees the foundation of her former home...all that is left of it. On the Bebop, Ed hands Spike a pinwheel. (It's later revealed in the episode guide made by "Tokyo Pop" that the children at the orphanage were taught to leave the pinwheels to mark places that they have visited.) Ed is shown slinking away with the sunset in the background, her computer resting on her head as she walks. Ein follows her. Jet discovers Spike looking ot on the landing deck, where the words "Bye Bye", along with Ed's signature hacking smiley, drawn in orange. At the remains of her home, Faye draws a box in the dirt with a stick. As though it were her bed, she lays down and looks at the sky. Spike and Jet eat eggs in silence. Ein finally catches up with Ed, barking and whimpering for Ed not to leave without him. Ed tells Ein that she is going some place far away, and that Ein should go back to the ship. She has a change of heart, though, asking Ein if he would like to come with her. Ein barks excitedly, and they run off into the sunset as meteors flash overhead. One last look at the Bebop reveals that Ed's pinwheel is taped to the ship's upper deck, spinning slowly as the light disappears. "See you cowgirl, someday, somewhere!" Memorable Quotes ---- Songs Used Papa Plastic Call Me Call Me Wo Qui Non Coin Series Connections Real World References *Hard Luck Woman is a 1976 lead single by American hard rock band KISS from their album Rock and Roll Over. *Walking on the Moon, '''the title of a book Spike is seen reading, shares it's name with the 1979 hit single by the English new wave band The Police. It is also the title of a romantic science fiction book by Susan Sizemore. *Merlion '''is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, and is a national symbol of Singapore. The landmark Faye recognizes resembles that of the merlion statue found in Singapore. *Macintyre and Appledehli are references to Apple and Mac computers. Category:Sessions